E3 2016: Bethesda Press Conference Review

Bethesda continues to show it has some of the industry’s best talent working under its banner.

Image via Arkane Studios / Bethesda

BACK TO THE ROOTS

Image via ZeniMax Studios / Bethesda

Bethesda’s conference kicked off with a look at their newest franchise reboot, Quake: Champions. It’s been 20 years since the gaming world has seen a new Quake, and this time around iD seems ready to reinvigorate its existing fan base once again. While there were rumors of Quake coming back, it was nice to see it confirmed in the press conference via trailer. Bethesda is slowly creating a niche for itself as the studio that isn’t afraid to take old IPs and revive them with the lifeblood of current-gen consoles. Wolfenstein and Doom were great, and I have no doubt that Quake will be too.

In typical E3 press conference fashion, a good deal of Bethesda’s was spent going over the success of some of their most staple games such as Fallout 4, The Elder Scrolls Online and Doom. This paved the way for reveals for even more Fallout 4 DLC—though not substantial singleplayer DLC like ‘Far Harbor’—as well as for the world premiere of The Elder Scrolls Online’s‘Dark Brotherhood’ questline.

The Elder Scrolls Online news wasn’t the only news from Tamriel, however. Two reveals which had been rumored for some time were confirmed later on in Bethesda’s conference in the forms of The Elder Scrolls: Legends and Skyrim: Special Edition (essentially Skyrim Remastered). The Elder Scrolls: Legends seems to be a take on a Hearthstone-like card game, and Skyrim: Special Edition is the same game but will allow console users to play with mods for the first time. If you’re a Tamriel fan, it’s a good year.

If you’re a Tamriel fan, it’s a good year.

Any good E3 press conference will introduce its fans to not only established IPs but to new material, new characters and universes to explore, too. For Bethesda, this reveal came from Arkane studios and Prey. The world premiere for the Prey cinematic featured heavy sci-fi themes alongside some deeper psychological elements. In many ways, the game reminded me of a mixture between Dishonored and Dead Space. While the Prey franchise isn’t new, this new game does mark yet another trademark reboot for Bethesda, and I’m eagerly awaiting more details on the game.

Dishonored 2 was the game of (this particular) show. We got a chance to take a look at the world building that Arkane has done for this game, and I have to say I’m incredibly impressed. The game world of Dishonored 2 has a past, a history and, most importantly, a culture. I admit I never was able to get too much into the first game, but Dishonored 2 seems like a polished and refined experience that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

Image via Arkane Studios / Bethesda

Wrapping up, I couldn’t help but notice that Bethesda’s press conference didn’t feature any news on Machine Games’ Wolfenstein franchise or Tango’s The Evil Within. I was expecting announcements of sequels for both, but the fact that neither were discussed makes me believe they will be addressed in either Microsoft or Sony’s conferences later on.

THE BREAKDOWN

Overall, Bethesda’s press conference was a tremendous success. I appreciated that games were the focus of the show and that VR, while mentioned, didn’t steal that focus. Bethesda continues to show us why it has the fan base that it does. They have a fantastic line up of games that speak to not only hardcore gamers of old, but to new audiences as well. With more content from The Elder Scrolls, Fallout 4 and Doom coming up until Dishonored 2 and Skyrim: Special Edition, it’s a good year for the gamers. I’ll see you in Tamriel.

Which game are you most excited about? Who’s better at Quake, you or me? Tweet me @Flagcap. And stay tuned to @YouNerded for more E3 coverage.